Psychonauts 2
by Hejin57
Summary: With Truman Zanotto missing, it's up to Razputin to take charge and be the Psychonaut he was meant to be. He's going to have to flex every mental muscle and conquer mad nightmares and dreams alike in order to stop a plot that could grant someone control of the psychic power of all the world's Psychonauts at once! Could the world be doomed to psychic apocalypse? Let's hope not!


**Yes. Back to writing some fanfiction again.**

**I beat Psychonauts. I loved it. I had an idea what the sequel might be like. I'm nothing close to Tim Schafer, but I want to try.**

**Yeah, Psychonauts 2 is kind of boring title, but hey, that's what it would probably be called for real, right?**

**So we'll see how this goes. It's going to be my first story with "fan-characters" for sure, but they're kind of necessary. They'll never take the spotlight away from the main characters though. Definitely making sure of that.**

**Well, here goes my tribute to the greatness of Psychonauts, and my take on what the sequel would be like. Enjoy.**

* * *

_Hejin57 Presents..._

_**~ O ~ Psychonauts 2 ~ O ~**_

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They say that the mind is a doorway into another world.

A place where reality has no limits, where the laws of the universe don't apply. A place where only mental willpower and psychic fortitude reign supreme.

But for Psychonauts, such a description is only just fraction of battlefield that is the human mind.

* * *

Raz had never been on a plane before. And being in one that was powered by nothing more than pure psychic energy, now that was a different experience all together.

So when the Psi-Jet started to climb upwards, it was only natural that Razputin's psychic instincts kicked in, sensing danger as an unfamiliar sensation came over him.

Sudden turbulence rocked the sleek vehicle as it gained altitude, nearly throwing Raz to the floor in the process. It was only through sheer psychic willpower that he managed to stay in his seat. Lili, however, had her mind elsewhere. She was not so lucky.

"Hey! Aren't you guys supposed to be properly trained in all this flying stuff?" she complained as she telekinetically picked herself up from the cold teal floor and lowered herself back down into her seat. The Psi-Jet stopped its abrupt shaking just as Sasha looked back from the open cockpit, one finger pressed up against his forehead.

"Oh, sorry about that. The psychic turbulence upon liftoff can be a little troublesome sometimes. There are seat belts for a reason." he said, only to receive a chuckle from Milla in response.

"The only reason there's any turbulence," she exclaimed, her voice as alive as ever, "is because you're not completely focused on my mind. It takes two to fly this jet, after all."

Once he could focus again, Raz found himself awestruck. As he gazed at the multitude of psychic technological marvels that made up the interior of this Psi-Jet, Raz knew in an instant that this was the life he had been destined for. Then again, he'd always known that.

This is what he was meant to be; a Psychonaut. One of the proud, psychic few. And now, with the culmination of earning his last merit badge and defeating the demons in both his own and Coach Oleander's mind, what was once but a dream had now become reality. With the help of some of the greatest Psychonauts the world has ever known, there was no doubt in his mind that he was headed for greatness.

The boy could already feel himself starting to slip into a fantasy until Coach Oleander's barking voice completely broke his train of thought.

"Hey Nein! Sure you don't want to let a more experienced pilot take the helm? If you can't handle Agent Vodello's mind, I'd be more than happy to take over for you." the Coach suggested, with a particularly condescending smile pasted on his face.

"I'm fine, Morry. Just because I can't dance very well doesn't mean I can't handle my lov-...I mean, my partner's mind. This is all very simple, really."

"Wait." Raz questioned, his mind drawn out of awe and now interested in the conversation at hand. "What can't you do?"

"Nothing. Forget what I said. In fact, I would greatly appreciate it if you would all allow Agent Vodello and myself to focus. Time is not a valuable resource at the moment, and Psychonauts Headquarters isn't just simply around the corner." he stated. Everyone seemed to oblige, and soon enough all Raz could hear was the low hum of the jet's psi-engines.

Of course, the silence didn't last long. Questions continued to bounce around in Raz's head, and surrounded by fellow psychics, he knew they would not go unnoticed.

"I know what you're thinking. Your first real mission as a Psychonaut. A dream turned into reality!" Ford Cruller told the boy, a kind of strange twinkle in his eye. Even with the veritable plate of psitanium suppressing his multiple personalities, Ford still had a unique quirkiness to him that Raz couldn't help but find admirable.

"Well, it is a dream come true. But being excited about this mission really doesn't feel right." he replied, his words fading as he glanced at Lili beside him. The anxiety in her eyes was more than obvious. He put his hand on hers in a sweet attempt to comfort her.

"It's okay. You should be proud of being a Psychonaut now." she replied, trying to sound happy thought struggling quite a bit. "Plus, I feel like now that you're with us, everything's gonna be alright."

"Listen up, Razputin. Truman Zonnato is the Grand Head of the Psychonauts for good reason. The fact that he was kidnapped in the first place is puzzling enough, but it also means that whoever, or whatever we're dealing with isn't something we should take lightly. This is the real deal." Ford added. Up ahead, Sasha and Milla seemed too focused on piloting the jet with their respective psyches to be listening.

"You know, now that I think about it, it's been ages since I've been on a mission like this. The last time I was out in the field like this was...the Mental Riots of '76. Ah, now those were the golden days!" Coach Oleander chimed in, twirling his mustache with one hand as he began to lose himself in his own memory.

"I remember reading something in True Psychic Tales, that when Truman Zonnato became head of the Psychonauts, he used his scientific expertise to invent the first Psi-Cores. This jet is powered by a really big Psi-Core, right?" Raz asked, receiving a nod from Ford in response.

"Indeed it is. Truman was able to harness small amounts of pure psitanium to create a sort of psychic battery; a power source that runs on nothing but pure psychic energy. This Psi-Jet is just one of many marvels that he's created. And boy, did it cost quite a pretty penny to make too." the aged Psychonaut replied with a chuckle.

"Well," Raz continued, "I'm sure his legacy as a Psychonaut had to have rub off somewhere. I don't have to read anyone's mind to know that."

He smiled wide, before a flattered yet embarrassed Lili elbowed him the stomach.

"Oh, quiet you." she retorted, a noticeable red glow showing under her cheeks.

There was a sudden lurch as Psi-Jet shifted in the air, and the plane continued rocking a bit for a good two minutes before Sasha and Milla began to force it down. Raz peered out the window, and was amazed to see a circular opening below, fashioned like a large metallic brain, that he could only assume to be the one and only Psychonauts Headquarters.

As the Psi-Jet continued to descend into a massive silver hangar, Raz could spot a few agents waiting below, all of them wearing the same sweater that had been given to him earlier in the day. One agent, a lithe woman sporting black designer glasses and holding a clipboard, caught his eye the most. She seemed particularly distressed and impatient.

"I wonder who that is..." he said out loud, causing his girlfriend to move right beside him and take a look. She sighed before turning away.

"Oh...that's my mom. She doesn't look like she's in too good of a mood. Figures..." Lili answered, her voice trailing off as she gazed out the window with uneasiness in her eyes.

Finally, the Psi-Jet seemed to stop moving entirely, and all Raz could hear was a low hum, indicating that only leftover psychic energy was keeping it hovering just above the ground.

The young Psychonaut could practically feel the stress in the air as he and the other psychics simultaneously levitated out of the ship. As they touched down on the hangar's clean, metallic floor, Raz noticed that the agents beside Lili's mom were quiet, almost like statues. Ida Zanotto, on the other hand, wasted no time in speaking.

"This is a disaster. A disaster, you hear? My husband is missing, and so I call our supposed best agents, and this is what I get?! Lateness? Do you know how late you are? Do you?" she asked in an extremely impatient and frustrated tone of voice, her eyes glaring at them with the intensity of a rattlesnake. Everyone seemed to know better than to give her a response, especially Lili, who Raz noticed was especially uneasy.

"You're all 6.7 seconds late. Unacceptable. And to believe I expected better from agents of your caliber, Nein and Vodello."

"Forgive us, Ida." Ford began, in an attempt to lessen the tension of the situation. "We've all been through quite a bit in the last few days and we're all just trying to get our heads back together."

Ida narrowed her eyes, and suddenly her tone towards Ford turned hostile. "You're the last person who should be talking about getting his head together. I know what's been going on at that summer camp, and when this is all through, we are going to be setting the record straight once and for all, Cruller. To think that Agents Nein and Vodello have been taking missions from a lunatic this whole time!"

That, apparently, was far enough for Raz.

"Hey! Don't talk to Agent Cruller like that! He was, and still is, one of the greatest agents the Psychonauts have ever had!" the boy argued, but before he could be answered, and before he could say anymore, a voice whispered to him in this back of his mind.

_It's alright, Razputin. I don't need anybody standing up for me. Remember that the Grand Head of the Psychonauts, her husband, is missing. She's not usually in this state of mind. So just listen to the nice lady and keep your head focused on the mission. _

The young psychic glanced back at Ford, and it only took him another moment to realize arguing was indeed of no use. But when he turned back around, he was suddenly face to face with Ida Zanotto, and her large black glasses almost touching the tip of his nose.

"So you're the new recruit I've heard so much about. Let me give you a suggestion if you want to continue being a Psychonaut; watch your tone with me. My husband might not be here, but that doesn't mean that someone isn't in charge. You'll do well to listen and keep quiet." she told him, her piercing glare focused right at him as her grip on the clipboard seemed to only get tighter. Raz didn't immediately know what to say in response, but he didn't have to, because Lili beat him to it, pushing him back as she faced off her mother.

"No, you're the one who better listen! That's MY boyfriend, and I'm not letting you lecture him like he's fresh out of Basic Braining. He's a better Psychonaut than you ever could be, probably a better Psychonaut than Dad even!" Lili exclaimed defiantly, earning a loud gasp from her mother in response.

"Excuse me? A better Psychonaut than my Truman? And what is all this boyfriend talk? If my memory is correct young lady, I remember a strict no boyfriend rule in our household. Oh, just you wait till your father hears about this!"

Those words seemed to strike a chord in Milla's head, and it was at this time that she finally spoke up. A faint smile on her face, she put her hands on both Lili and Raz's shoulder as she addressed Ida in the most respectful voice she could muster.

"Ida, darling, perhaps we should get to the mission briefing. All of this arguing doesn't really help our cause, and as you always say, time is of the essence."

Ida's expression softened, if only a bit. She straightened up, before jotting something down on her clipboard and reaching into her pocket and pulling out what Raz recognized as a Psycho-Portal.

"You're right, Agent Vodello. I will handle Lili's upstarts another time. Let's just get this over with." Ida remarked, only to watch Coach Oleander bustle his way to the front, his face full of excitement.

"Yes! Into your mind and onto our next mission! I'm as ready as ever." the Coach announced, only to have himself stifled as two large psychic hands latched onto his body, pinning his arms and lifting him up into the air. The Coach seemed to stutter for a moment, before his anger started to rise and he was spitting out words.

"Hey, what is this?! I haven't done a thing, I swear!"

Ida nearly snorted in response. "That, Morceau, is an understatement. I believe you've got some counseling to go to. After all, _you nearly stole my daughter's brain!_"

The Coach went silent almost immediately after that, allowing the agents to continue their psychic hold on him. He put his head down in shame as Ida turned her gaze.

"And you, Cruller, well, you're a different matter entirely. But that fact is that you and Morceau aren't welcome in my mind. Now enough time wasted. Let's get to it."

The mood in the air seemed to change drastically as Raz watched Ida Zanotto methodically place the Psycho-Portal smack in the middle of her forehead. There was a loud creaking noise as the doorway opened up, revealing the inner white void that Raz knew was the interior of her mind.

Suddenly, he felt so bare without his usual outfit, so awkward without the goggles to slip over his eyes. He saw the world without a red tint, and that thought alone made him feel so out of place. But he knew that he'd have to get over this discomfort eventually, and rather than thinking about, he instead focused his mind as Sasha, Milla and Lili presumably did the same.

When Raz closed his eyes, there was no blackness, but instead a blinding white light. Then came the sensation of his body being lifted, as if he was levitating. The threads of his consciousness began to unravel, only to reassemble as he felt himself being sucked through the doorway into Ida's mind.

As he felt himself being projected into the astral plane, he wondered what mind of a Psychonaut like Ida would be like, and if it would at all give him a clue what really went on in Lili's head. After all, they were related.

That was his last thought before his astral self completely separated from his body.

Then, nothing.


End file.
